First Glance
by SaraMH
Summary: Criss/Colfer bromance. Starts with when they first meet... soon will include the entire cast. Filed under Blaine and Kurt because I figured that's where people will look for this type of stuff.
1. Chapter 1: Introductions

_(Loud Chatter, Kurt walks down staircase looking confused at the business of the school. Kurt stops a boy heading downstairs.)_

_**Kurt:** "Excuse me. Umm. Can I ask you a question? I'm new here."_

_**Blaine:** "My name's Blaine."_

_(Boys shake hands.)_

_**Kurt:** "Kurt. So what exactly's going on?"_

_**Blaine:** "The Warblers! Every now and then they throw an impromptu performance in the senior commons... it tends to shut the school down for a while."_

_**Kurt:** "So, wait, the Glee club here is kind of... cool?"_

_**Blaine:** "The Warblers are like... rock stars!" (Kurt looks surprised.) "Come on, I know a short-cut!"_

_(Blaine leads Kurt to senior commons by the hand and-_

"Hey, you're Chris Colfer!" Chris jumped, dropping his script and turned around to find a short boy with curly hair about five feet away. He wore a white v-neck t-shirt and khaki pants rolled up at the bottoms and sported boat shoes and pink sunglasses, hiding his eyes.

Chris, having gotten over the fear that a fan had somehow snuck on set, managed to recognize the boy from the many photos online that he had seen when he googled him, although in the photos he was wearing a Harry Potter costume, which reminded him of why he looked familiar. Chris remembered being obsessed with a musical parody of Harry Potter that Darren starred in. "Hey you're Darren right? My new co-star?" Chris questioned, feigning ignorance. After all, who wanted to be the annoying fanboy?

"Yeah. Sorry I scared you, I was really excited. Ryan said I would find you here and we should go over our lines for the scenes we are shooting this week!" Darren bounced up and down while he was talking, like a very energetic puppy. Chris found his energy endearing and began to look forward to shooting with him.

"Sure... You have read the script, right? I was just reading it now." Chris picked up his script from where it had fallen and Darren nodded. "Where do you want to run through it? We could go to my trailer... or since I have the rest of the day off, we could start with a tour of the set and then we could head to a coffee shop or my apartment and get some pizza delivered. Are you hungry?"

"I'm always hungry, you will never ever see me turn down food. Can we head to your apartment and order some pizza? It would be nice to hang out since I believe Blaine will be Kurt's love interest, as Ryan would say, so we may end up spending a lot of time together." Darren smirked.

"Are you kidding? That will be the last thing Kurt will need after what Karofsky is going to him... First he makes out with Britney because he is jealous of his father's attention for Finn, now Karofsky is going to mouth-rape him." Chris stuck his tongue out at Darren. Darren shook his head, laughing.

"First of all, I don't believe 'mouth-raping' is an actual thing. Second of all, maybe having a loving relationship is exactly what Kurt needs to help him remember what kissing is supposed to be like. You just wait, Kurt will be pining for Blaine." Darren stuck his tongue out at Chris, mimicking him, and Chris reached out and shoved him lightly on the shoulder.

"What if it is the other way around and Blaine is pining for Kurt?" Chris pointed out. "I have connections, Criss, you never know. Maybe I can get Ryan to write it that way for me." Darren raised a taunting eyebrow.

"Are you willing to put money where your mouth is?" Darren grinned, assuming he had this in the bag.

"Clearly. How much are you willing to hand over when I win?" Darren laughed at this and Chris smirked. "Actually, let's make this a little more interesting... winner gets to run the loser's twitter account for a day," Chris taunted, surely Darren would never be stupid enough to wager that, the things he would do to Darren's fanbase if he won...

"You're on, Colfer. Now how about that pizza, I'm starved!" Darren rubbed his stomach.

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><p><strong>AN: TBC... if anyone likes it. Had a little spare time and got tired of reading so I decided to try my hand at writing. If you like it and want another chapter leave me a review and let me know. :)**


	2. Chapter 2: Fonder

**A/N: OMG YOU GUYS I AM SO SORRY IT TOOK ME SO LONG TO UPDATE! Okay, so it has been three weeks. I can't usually write during the week and these past two weekends have been crazy. First my mom's side of the family was visiting for a joint birthday party for me and my uncle, then my dad's side of the family was visiting for a joint birthday party for me and my aunt and I couldn't really get away to write at all!**

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><p>The boys had been talking on the benches that were outside next to the tent that held all the food for the people who worked on the show. As they walked across the lot to the trailer, they got to know each other a little better.<p>

"So, you can sing, you can act, you can dance, and you are a horrible gambler... what else is there I should know before we start filming together?" Darren asked. Chris scoffed.

"Oh, I'M the horrible gambler... you keep telling yourself that. Well... I'm 20 years old. I started on Glee right before my freshmen year of college, effectively ending my education. Oh... fun fact: I'm obsessed with Harry Potter." Chris winked at the last part, wondering how long it would take Darren to catch on.

"Dude, so am I! This is awesome. Where have you been all my life?" Darren gushed not even realizing what Chris was referring to.

Chris held the door open for Darren as they entered what would be their trailer. "This is my... now our, trailer. Since Blaine is a recurring character you will need somewhere to hang out when we shoot, but we are short on slots in the lot, so we can both relax here. If you have anything you want to bring-a guitar, books, video games, whatever, feel free to put all your stuff in here and make yourself at home." Chris turned around to look at Darren who had stopped just inside the door. His mouth was open and his eyes were glued to the brightly colored ball hanging on the ceiling. "Darren?" Chris got no response, so he picked up the pillow on the couch and threw it at his face. It hit Darren on the cheek and fell to the floor.

"Dude, what was that for?" Darren picked up the pillow and threw it right back at Chris, hitting him on the shoulder. "And why is there a disco ball in your trailer?"

"Just because I'm only 20 doesn't mean I can't have a mean dance party every now and then... if you're nice you just might be invited." Chris teased.

"Well considering it is our trailer now, not yours, I don't think you have a choice. I can invite myself... Redvines? You have a can of redvines in your trailer?" Darren's eyes widened at the sight. "Can I have one, pleaassseeee?" Chris laughed.

"Sure! Redvines are totally awesome! I've been obsessed with them since I watched your musical in high school. It was great, by the way!" Chris grabbed them and handed one to Darren. Darren took it, and mid-bite, stopped, realizing what Chris had said.

"Wait... you know? About StarKid?" Darren looked very surprised. Chris just laughed and nodded.

"Of course I do... How could I not? I was a total nerd in high school. I was the kind of kid who would go to ComicCon and dress up in the most geeky outfit imaginable!" Chris laughed thinking about his many costumes and fondly grinned at Darren. "For the record, AVPM was a stroke of genius... and the sequel? You must be Einstein or something."

"Wow, man, I don't even know what to say. That really means a lot!" Darren smiled at Chris. Chris grinned back.

"Well, besides StarKid, I don't know anything about you besides your appearance and your apparent puppy-like energy. So, fill me in. Who is Darren Criss," Chris inquired.

"Well... I'm 23. I can sing, act and dance. I think that this is the most fantastic experience I have ever had in my life. I run StarKid and have a great time with that. I went to the University of Michigan. I am secretly, well it's not a secret from you, a huge nerd. Also, I am the biggest fanboy you will ever meet-I have been trying to contain myself all day... I am so thankful that I have been blessed with the opportunity to portray a character as awesome as Blaine and be on a show like Glee." Darren finished, smiling, a dimple showing in his cheek. Chris nodded.

Before Chris could comment, there was a sharp knock on the metal door of his trailer. "Chris?" Chris recognized the voice as Ryan's, probably coming to check on him and Darren or ask one of them a question.

"Come in, Ryan." Chris called. The door was pulled open and Ryan's head popped in from the other side.

"Oh, good, Darren found you. I hope you two are getting on well. Let me know if you need anything. We have set the schedule for the next week now, you two have been bumped up. You were originally supposed to film your first scene together on Thursday, but one of the other cast members is sick, so your scenes are being swapped with theirs. You will now film together on Monday, first thing in the morning." The boys nodded their understanding and said they would be prepared. Ryan said goodbye and to have a good weekend and left them alone.

"Well if we need to film Monday we should probably finish up your tour so we can start running lines sooner rather than later... we also might run in to the rest of the cast members since they are probably finished shooting now, or Ryan would still be kicking their butts. So, pizza time?" Darren nodded enthusiastically. "You can follow me to my apartment. Where did you park your car? My car's in the back lot where our spots are." Darren held the door for Chris as they exited the trailer and began walking towards the parking lots.

"I parked in the back lot too." Chris just nodded and they continued walking. They had a ways to go because the Glee spots were in the back of the lot since they were the newest show. Chris spotted Amber and Kevin not too far ahead of them, also heading in the same direction. Just as Chris was about to call out to them Darren spotted them too.

"Amber! Kevin!" Chris' voice carried easily across the lot and Amber turned around first, followed by Kevin. When Amber saw Darren she waved and Kevin grinned, waiting for them to catch up. When they reached the others, Darren smiled.

"Hi! I'm Darren, I'm playing Blaine. You must be Amber and Kevin. It's really nice to meet you." Darren held out his hand and Amber shook it, then Kevin.

Amber grinned. "Of course you are. It's so great to have you joining the show!" Darren grinned back, relief washing through him. He wasn't sure how they would take a new cast member. It had been them from the beginning and he was sure he would feel like the new kid looking in. Kevin shook his hand too, also giving him a warm welcome. Now all he had to worry about was all the "Kurtsies" who he would have to win over... If he was going to get all the glory and win his bet with Chris, they needed to approve of him as an appropriate love interest for their beloved Kurt.

"How was filming today?" Chris asked the pair. "Was Ryan an absolute terror? He wasn't in a very good mood after Kurt's goodbye scene..." Amber smirked.

"He was definitely trolling today. I have to go and memorize my lines for my next scene for shooting but I will see you soon." Amber winked and waved at Chris before turning to Darren. "It was wonderful to meet you. I hope Blaine has some scenes with New Directions soon so we get to know each other better. See you later, guys!" Amber smiled and got into her car. They had made their way to the back lot so Darren and Chris were close to their cars.

"Yeah, totally awesome to meet you man. It's always cool to have new cast members. See you guys tomorrow... I mean, Monday." Kevin laughed and got into his car, a blue mercedes. Kevin waved again as he pulled out of the lot. Chris turned to Darren as they stopped next to a silver BMW X5.

"Okay, do you want to follow me to my apartment building? It's like 5 minutes away from here." Darren nodded. "Which car is yours?" Darren smiled.

"As luck would have it, my car is right next to yours." Darren said as he pressed the unlock button on his key, the locks on his car clicking as they disengaged. "And following you sounds like a great plan."

"Okay... What kind of pizza do you want? I can order it on the way from my phone."

"Pepperoni, please. What size are you going to order? I could eat a whole pizza by myself." Darren pulled open his car door and leaned on the frame.

"I'll just get a large-does that sound good to you?" Chris pulled open his door too, throwing his script over to the passenger side and pulling his blackberry out of his pocket. Darren nodded. "Alright. Let's go!" Chris got into his car and turned it on, cranking the radio up. He dialed the number for the pizza place and pulled up to the exit of the lot, Darren following close behind. He pulled out onto the road, turning the radio down when he heard someone answer on the line. He ordered the pizza and hung up. He cranked the radio again and stopped at a red light. Luckily, they had left a little earlier then usual and were able to skip a little bit of the end of day traffic. S&M came on the radio and he mouthed the lyrics, tapping his hands on the steering wheel. When he glanced in his rearview mirror to check Darren was still right behind him, he saw Darren mouthing the words to a song, shaking his head back and forth. What was presumably the chorus came on and Darren started dancing in his seat. Chris laughed heartily and pulled forward seeing the light turn green. He turned onto his street and pulled into the parking lot of his apartment complex, parking next to Lea's car with an empty space on his left. Darren pulled into the spot next to him and they both got out. Darren walked over and joined Chris walking towards the front door of the building. Chris said nothing and heard Darren quietly humming Hey Soul Sister by Train under his breath. Chris involuntarily let out a burst of laughter, shaking his head. Darren stopped humming and looked at Chris questioningly.

"Why are you laughing so hard?" Darren furrowed his eyebrows in confusion as Chris struggled to pull himself together and catch his breath. "What's so funny?"

When Chris could finally talk again, he explained himself: "Is that what you were dancing to so enthusiastically in your car just now? I thought you were having a seizure or something!" Chris chuckled again.

"What? It's a good song!" Darren smirked and belted out the first verse: "YOUR LIPSTICK STAINS ON THE FRONT LOBE OF MY LEFT SIDE BRAIN'S, I KNEW I WOULDN'T FORGET YA, AND SO I WENT AND LET YOU BLOW MY MIND!" Chris gaped at him.

"Darren, shhhhh, we're in public, be quiet!" Chris punched him lightly in the arm. Darren kept singing. "Don't force me to retaliate." Darren quieted down.

"Retaliate in song?" Darren asked. Chris raised an eyebrow.

"Nope. Worse. You don't want to know what I would do." Chris bestowed Darren with his best bitch-face that he had perfected during filming.

"Oooohhh, I'm terrified now!" Darren joked, pretending to shrink away from Chris. Chris pulled out a keycard and held it under a scanner which beeped and the doors swung open to reveal a beige lobby with nice furniture and hotel-like decorations and a nice atmosphere.

Chris grinned. "Don't make me take away your pizza. I will eat it all!" By now they had entered the building, and Chris led Darren over to the front desk where the manager was sitting. "Hey, Nick! Can I have a visitor's pass please?"

Nick, the manager, raised an eyebrow at Chris before smirking. "Hi Chris! Of course you can... name for the pass please?"

"Darren Criss." Chris replied. Darren stood their, not quite knowing what to do.

"Height?" Darren pouted. Why would he need to know his height to put on a pass? He wasn't exactly the tallest guy around...

"Darren." Chris poked his shoulder. "How tall are you?"

"5'8''..." Darren mumbled. Nick typed this into his computer to put on the pass and pressed print. The printer whirred, turning on.

"*cough*_hobbit*_cough*" Chris coughed out. Darren glared at Chris jokingly before grinning sheepishly.

"You just wait until I am running your twitter page for a day!" Darren lightly hit Chris in the shoulder. Nick cleared his throat, holding out the pass for Darren. Darren took it, thanking him, and Chris led him to the elevator, turning around to wave at Nick in thanks. They got into the elevator and Chris pressed the button that would take them to his floor.

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><p><strong>AN: Okay, so pleaseeee review. It makes me write faster and lets me know if you guys like the story, if I should take it in a certain direction, or what I should do... Also, I think there is a small chance I will update again tonight to make up for leaving you hanging for so long. Don't count on it though.  
><strong>


	3. Chapter 3: Reservations

**A/N: Okay, guys, I'm really sorry I didn't update for so long. Both sets of grandparents have been at my house almost constantly for the past month, and my uncle was seriously ill. But, everything is fine now and here is another chapter. It's not my favorite and I'm not sure if I like how it turned out...but I hope you guys do! Enjoy!**

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><p>The elevator made a small <em>ding<em> noise that announced their arrival on Chris's floor. Chris scanned his card again and the doors slid open. Darren stepped out and found himself in a lobby, beautifully decorated with black couches and a few neat side tables upon which there were modern black lamps and vases with pretty flowers as well as some paintings on the walls, about half the size of the main lobby – it was still very large. The wall facing the boys was comprised mostly of windows, quite like a solarium. The other sides of the room were painted a nice light blue. There were two white doors on either side of the room, set back a few feet from the wall. "This door leads to my apartment," Chris announced pointing at the one on the left, "and the other one belongs to Lea. We met on the first day of filming and we were both looking for new apartments. We thought the way this was so private with the security stepping off the elevator, it would be almost like living in a house together. Looking back, that was the best plan because with how big it's all become, it's great to have a place where you can just be by yourself sometimes. It helps to keep out... unwelcome neighbors." Chris smirked and led Darren across the room and over to his door. Pulling out his badge again, he swiped it through the lock on the door and they were admitted with a green light. The boys stepped through the doorway and they both slipped off their shoes next to the door. Darren turned around to face the apartment. He turned to the left and saw down a short hallway was a living room and to the right he saw another room with comfy furniture.

"Man, your apartment seems awesome! Any chance I could get Lea to give me hers?" Darren joked. Chris just laughed.

"Thanks. I don't think she would give it to you even if you begged!" They both laughed. Chris led the way down the short hall to the left and turned off at a kitchen. Pulling open the door to his fridge Chris asked, "Are you thirsty? Do you want anything to drink?"

"Yeah, sure, thanks." Darren replied. Chris raised an eyebrow in question, pulling out a diet Coke for himself. "I'll have a Coke too, please." Chris held one out to him and he took it. "Thanks."

"Yeah, don't mention it. So did you bring your script with you?" Darren nodded before frowning.

"I left it in my car... I'll have to go down and grab it." Darren supplied.

"That's fine. We can grab it when we go down to the lobby to get the pizza." Just as Chris said this, his phone rang from his coat pocket where he had set it down on the table just inside the front door. Darren followed Chris back to the door and they discovered Chris had gotten a text message from Nick saying their pizza was in the lobby. "Let's head down. Oh gosh, it's almost six." Chris made a face and they slipped on their shoes and entered the lobby area again. Chris pressed the button to call the elevator and they stood waiting in a comfortable silence. Darren was just about to ask Chris a question when the door on the other side of the lobby opened and a girl Darren recognized as Lea, the girl who played Rachel Berry on glee, emerged. She waved when she saw them before grinning at Chris and walking over.

"Hey, Chris!"

"Hi, Lea. This is Darren, the new kid." Lea and Darren laughed as Chris pointed back towards him. Darren smiled warmly at Lea and extended his hand.

"Hi, it's nice to meet you. I've seen the show a few times and your voice is amazing." Lea smiled back at Darren, shaking his hand.

"Thank you! It's lovely to meet you too. What are you two doing?"

"We are running lines for the shoot. We were supposed to shoot on Thursday but Ryan came into my trailer and said someone got sick so we're bumped up to Monday... Which of course means zero rehearsal time before we go straight to film. At the moment, we were both hungry so we ordered pizza and Nick said it's here." Chris held up his phone. At that moment, the doors to the elevator slid open and the trio stepped inside. Lea reached out and pressed the button labeled "L". "Where are you going?"

"I'm going out to dinner with Jon. I missed him a ton and I'm glad he's finally back in town." Lea checked her watch and commented on the time like Chris had: "Oh wonderful! It's almost six. Darren, you have come at just the right time." Lea grinned at Chris who was rolling his eyes. Darren raised an eyebrow, expecting some form of an explanation from Chris.

Chris shook his head. "I'll explain when we get back to my apartment, Darren. It's almost something you have to experience before you will understand the severity of the situation." Lea snorted.

"It's not hard to understand. She's obsessed with you, Chris. That's it. Simple." Chris frowned. Darren just furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "Just wait a minute Darren, it's 5:58. It won't be long." Just as Lea finished talking, the doors to the elevator slid open and they all got out. Chris and Darren turned and headed back towards Nick's desk while Lea continued past the desk, heading to the door. "Darren," she turned and called from a few yards away, "it was awesome to meet you! Get my number from Chris and let me know what you think of our friendly neighborhood stalker. You guys should hang out with me and Jon later if you are still here when we get back." Lea waved and turned on her heel to walk out the door. Chris turned to Nick. Nick was shaking, trying not to laugh at the exchange between the two.

"Can I just have my pizza, Nick? The last thing I want to do is run into Alicia because you were intentionally delaying us." Chris handed Nick and twenty and Nick grabbed their pizza from the back desk and handed it to him.

Nick smirked. "Friendly neighborhood stalker? Is that what she is now?" Standing and walking across the lobby, Darren finally got a good look at Nick. He looked young, maybe in his mid-twenties, and he had dark brown hair with bright blue eyes. He was built – muscular but not body-builder strong. He was taller than Darren – he looked as if he were an inch or two taller than Chris, maybe falling somewhere in between 5 foot 12 and 6 feet. Nick stopped next to the glass doors at the entry and peered outside. "She's here. Better call that elevator." Chris grabbed Darren's wrist and dragged him over to the elevator, hitting the button five times in his haste. "She's coming this waaayyyyy." Nick sang from across the room, snickering as he saw an annoyed look cross Chris's face briefly.

Darren laughed. "Chris, we forgot my script."

"Fine. I give up!" Chris said in an exasperated tone. "Let's go get it... maybe it will give us an excuse to sneak away from Alicia. Come on." Just as Darren and Criss turned around the doors to the building slid open again. In came a girl who looked about 20 with flaming hair and blue eyes. The eyes scanned the lobby and brightened, resting on Chris.

"Hey, Chris!" she called, grinning. She practically ran over to the boys. Seeing Darren she held out her hand, "I'm Alicia. You must be starting on Glee, I assume." Darren took her hand and shook it.

"Yep. Darren." After this short introduction, Alicia began spouting off a ton of questions related to the set and their jobs. When Chris began to edge toward the door, Alicia moved too.

"Look, Alicia, I'd love to chat, but we have a shoot we need to get ready for so maybe some other time. Darren and I are going to run lines but he forgot his script and we need to go get it. See you later."

"Wait! Speaking of later, I'm having a party tonight if you wanna come. It'd be so much cooler if you showed up! You should come too, Darren! And I can get it for you! Where did he leave it?" Alicia offered.

Chris sighed. "Alicia, how many times are you gonna host these crazy parties with your actor friends before you realize you're at the end of Nick's rope. You know the rules – no crazy parties unless you are prepared to pay for all damages to the building and pay a fee for breaking the quiet. I'm sorry, but I don't want to be responsible and I can't make it anyway – I'm working. And no thanks, it's fine, we're all set. Bye." Chris grabbed Darren's arm again and they hurried out the door and into the parking lot. When Chris glanced at Darren he saw Darren had put on the bright pink glasses he had seen earlier.

"Jeez. She doesn't seem that bad. She talks a lot and she's kinda nosy but she doesn't seem that bad." Darren laughed.

"That was the best she's ever been. I'm so glad she doesn't have my cell number." _because then she would grill me about you later and bug me to go to her party again... _he finished in his head. Darren laughed heartily at this, too.

"Speaking of which, neither do I, and you don't have mine. Here." Darren fished out his iPhone and unlocked it, entering his contacts app and hitting create. Chris pulled out his blackberry and the two exchanged phones and typed in their own numbers and names before hitting save and passing their phones back to each other.

"Really? You entered your name as Harry Freakin' Potter?" Chris scoffed and Darren just snickered. The boys reached Darren's car and he unlocked his door, grabbed his script, slammed his door and locked the car again.

"Uhhh, yeah." Darren announced this in a sarcastic tone as if it was the obvious thing to do. "Now, I just need to come up with a good name for you in my phone... hmmmmm..." Darren looked at Chris, observing him, giving him a once over, "You're pale. You've got brown hair... blue eyes. Tall-ish. I would say something Twilight related but your blue eyes ruin that universe of possibilities. Kurt's Porcelain. I think I'll just stick with that one...for now. Until I find out your deepest, darkest secret and I can exploit that for a good nickname." Chris rolled his eyes.

"Wow. That was original. Totally awesome." Darren grinned and started typing "Porcelain" into his phone. The doors slid open to let them in the building again as Chris scanned his badge. "Alright, pizza, script, phone numbers. We're set." The boys got into the elevator and went back up to Chris and Lea's floor and settled themselves in the living room in Chris' apartment. As they ate, they read through the first scene, discovering that they worked really well together. After they'd run through a few times and they both felt like they'd memorized their lines sufficiently for the shoot, they folded their scripts and lay down on their backs. Chris looked at the clock on the table he was lying next to: it read 9:13pm. "Where are you staying, Darren?"

Darren frowned. "Honestly? I don't know... I didn't know if I would get the part so I didn't buy or rent an apartment yet. I was planning on just finding a hotel for the night and looking for an apartment tomorrow before shooting. Any suggestions on buildings to look at?"

Chris gaped at Darren. "Darren, you don't have anywhere to stay tonight yet? Are you crazy? This is L.A., not some random town in the middle of nowhere. You're probably gonna end up at some dump. You could stay here if you want to, until you find somewhere to live."

"Chris, that's really, really kind of you, but I don't want to impose. I'm sure I'll find somewhere to sleep tonight. I lived in an apartment with a broken fridge until yesterday so I'm not that concerned about where I end up." Darren smiled at Chris.

"Darren, you wouldn't be imposing. The only thing I've indulged in since Glee was a nice apartment because I knew work would be tiring, coming just out of high school, so I wanted someplace where I could just relax and completely enjoy my free time. I have a guest room. Really, if you don't sleep in it, it will just be empty anyway. It's honestly not a big deal. Besides, it's already almost 9:30."

"Chris, are you serious? That's so nice of you! Really, thanks! I owe you big time, man. You just saved me a couple hundred bucks, dude. There has to be some way I can make it up to you!" Darren sat up and Chris followed suit.

"Seriously, dude, calm down. It's not a big deal. Like I said, it would just be empty anyway. Don't worry about it. Just make me look good Monday morning." Chris smiled. "You must have some stuff you need from your car to sleep in and stuff, right?" Darren nodded and beamed at Chris.

"Yeah, I have a duffel in my trunk I should probably grab. Do you want to come with me?"

"Sure. Let's go." The boys hauled themselves up off the floor. Chris groaned. Darren snickered.

"I thought you said you were 20... why are you groaning like an old man?" Chris stuck his tongue out at Darren as they walked down the hallway to his door.

"Just wait. Wait until you experience a dance rehearsal with Zach. Although, I'm afraid you will never get the pleasure of learning how to dance to a Beyonce song..." They both laughed and stepped into the small lobby and called the elevator. They both stepped in and Chris pulled a pair of sunglasses out of his pocket and put them on. Then he took out a beanie and pulled it over his hair. Darren just stared at him with a curious look on his face. Chris turned and saw it and remembered Darren wasn't used to the crazy yet. "When Alicia, my crazy neighbor, throws a party, she throws a party. She is an actress working as a waitress while trying to make it big, like every other girl in L.A. That's why she constantly harassing me: she's trying to get connections that she thinks will help her in the business. When her parties are held, she usually tries to invite every person she knows with a deal anywhere and tells them to bring people, hoping some producer will show up and she can get signed. Obviously, it never works and things just end up getting out of hand. You never know who might infiltrate. Nick is _this close_ to kicking her out. They always break things in drunken stupors." The doors slid open to reveal a lobby filled with people half-dressed. The lights had turned off and there was a disco ball set up in the middle. Red solo cups were strewn all over every surface and Nick was wandering the area with a flashlight, presumably looking for Alicia to shut things down. The boys continued out past the doors, where they were met with the lovely sight of people puking among couples making out. As they made their way over to Darren's car they had to navigate around various obstacles. "Technically, they're supposed to contain all parties to their own apartments but clearly, Alicia fails to do so."

"I'll say." Darren popped the trunk of his car with a button on his keys and grabbed his bag, hoisting it over his shoulder. "Cool. Let's roll. Thanks again for doing this, Porcelain." Darren smirked at Chris, teasing him.

"Say that again, and I'll put you out. On the street. Like a dog." Chris gave Darren his best bitch glare that he had perfected during filming. As the door slid open again, without prompting (Alicia had found a way to unlock them, apparently), they were met with the sight of all the lights on again and people still dancing, but the music that had been blaring before was now quieter. Chris could see Nick yelling at Alicia on the other side of the room. As they passed his desk, they caught snippets of the conversation.

"Alicia, I told you last time you did this that I was not putting up with anymore of your crap! YOU'RE DONE HERE. That's it! As of tomorrow, you are no longer a resident of this building. You can sleep here tonight, but tomorrow, you're gone by noon, do you understand? Now, get all these ANIMALS out of my building and clean up this MESS before I change my mind and kick you out tonight!" Nick turned on his heel and went into his office again. He emerged a minute later with a megaphone and yelled at the crowd: "Party's over. Get out!" He shoved the megaphone into Alicia's arms and announced it was up to her now, and when he checked in a half an hour, the place better be spotless the way it was at six.

"Wait, Chris. If she's gone... that means there will be a free apartment, right? Can you hold on for a minute?" Chris nodded and then nodded again, acknowledging Darren's logic was correct and letting him know he would wait. Darren smiled, "Thanks." and turned around jogging over to Nick's office and pounding on the door.

"Alicia, go away." Was the muffled response that came through the door.

"It's Darren Criss actually. Chris' friend?" The door swung open.

"Oh, I'm sorry Darren, I didn't mean to be rude, but you saw the spectacle that just took place. She's crossed the line one too many times." Nick smiled sheepishly.

"Don't worry about it. That's actually what I was hoping to talk to you about. Is there any chance that I can have her apartment? I start filming for Glee on Monday and I don't have a place yet."

Nick brightened and nodded. "Definitely! I can have the cleaning service come in tomorrow... it's not furnished though – you will need to buy everything you want in there, so you will want other arrangements until you have a break to go shopping. I'm glad you're interested. It will be much more relaxing around here without having to act as a zoo-keeper all the time."

"That's awesome Nick! I'll take it! Thanks, so much. We can talk prices later. Just make sure I've got dibs, alright?" Nick nodded. Darren grinned. "Thanks again!" Darren turned and went back to Chris where he had went to hold the elevator. "Nick's gonna give me first crack at the apartment. It's mine, if I want it."

Chris beamed. "Darren, that's awesome! Congratulations." The door slid shut and the boys went back up to Chris' room, talking excitedly about Darren's apartment and how he would furnish it. When they stepped into the hallway, the boys slipped off their shoes and Chris led Darren down the hallway to the right this time. They passed the room with the large, comfy looking couches and continued past another door to a set of stairs. They went up the stairs and Darren found that they led to a whole separate floor just a big as the first one. There was a hallway down to the right and they took that. Chris opened the second door on the right and Darren found himself in the guest room. There was a large bed and a dresser. Some sleek windows were on the wall across from the door. On each side of the bed was a glass side table with a nice lamp and above the dresser there was a mirror. "You room is this one, and mine is all the way at the end of the hallway to the left if you need anything. If you're hungry or thirsty, help yourself to the kitchen. Your bathroom is the one to the left of your door."

"Thanks, Porcelain. And, listen, Chris, thanks again. This is really, really, really nice of you." Darren said sincerely with a small smile.

"It's no problem, D. I'm tired, because I was on set at 5 this morning, so I'll see you tomorrow. In the room we passed before the stairs, I have a TV with plenty of movies and a computer you're welcome to use if you wake up before me... there's also a music room at the end of the hall to the right you're welcome to explore. Night." Chris smiled, gave Darren a small wave and walked off down the hallway. Darren got ready for bed and shut off his phone. Smiling to himself, he thought back on his day. He was really happy with how things had gone, and he thought he had found himself a great friend in Chris. He drifted off to sleep thinking of that, excited for Monday's shoot.


End file.
